Hillary Clinton's vice-president short list narrows - Action News
Home WebMail Saturday, November 23, 2024, 07:23 AM | Calgary | -12.2°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
World

Hillary Clinton's vice-president short list narrows

Hillary Clinton is widely expected to reveal her vice-presidential choice on Friday in a tweet or a text message to supporters. However, it's possible she will postpone the announcement given Friday's deadly shooting in Munich, Germany.

Senator Tim Kaine, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack front-runners for VP pick

U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. July 19, 2016. (David Becker/Reuters)

AfterDonald Trump acceptedthe Republican presidential nomination earlier this week, flanked by his family and his vice-presidential pick Mike Pence, many are now turning their focus to the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton andthe question of who she'll tap to be her running mate.

Clinton is expected to reveal her vice-presidential choice on Friday in a text message to supporters and then appear with her running mate for the first time at a rally in Miami on Saturday,according to a person familiar with the process who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

At a rally in Tampa on Saturday, Clinton made no mention of her possible vice-presidential pick, instead focusing oncriticizingher Republican rival,whom she accused of stoking hatred,fear and divisiveness.

"The last thing we need are leaders who try to divide us even more than we are.We should be working to reach out to those who are different from us. Our differences, which make up our diversity, make us the strongest, best-positioned country in the world for the 21st century," she said.

She concluded herspeech by shouting"Love trumps hate," asloganusedby anti-Trump protesters nationwide.

It's possible Clintonwill postpone her running mateannouncement given Friday's mass shooting in Munich, Germany. Trump brieflyput off introducingPence as his vice-presidential pickduring thedeadly attack in Nice, France, last week.

According to The Washington Post, Clinton has narrowed her short list to two people, with several others still being considered.

Here's a look at her possible picks:

VirginiaSenator TimKaine

According to the Post report,Kaine, who recently stumped with Clinton, is one of the names on her two-personshort list.

He has been in public office for many years in the important battleground state of Virginia, having previously served as governor and mayor of the state's capital city of Richmond before becoming a senator.

Kaine, whospeaks Spanish, hadbeen previouslyvetted as a possible VP pick forBarack Obama back in 2008 and, according to the New York Times, has the support of Clinton's husband, the former U.S. president Bill Clinton.

Clinton, left, and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine wave to the crowd during a campaign event at Ernst Community Cultural Center at Northern Virginia Community College July 14, 2016 in Annandale, Va. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

The second name on Clinton's supposed list, Vilsackis from the swing state of Iowa, which could greatly help Clinton in the general election. During the Democratic primaries, Clinton only narrowly scraped byVermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the state.

Vilsack has a longstanding friendship with Clinton, and was considered to be John Kerry's running mate in 2004.

In 2006, Vilsacklaunched his own presidential campaignahead of the 2008 election, but his run was short-lived. After dropping out, he endorsed Clinton.

Clinton and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, right, tour the Tool and Die Lab in August of 2015 at the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)

Massachusetts SenatorElizabeth Warren

Apart from the two front-runners, there is a second tier ofcandidates that some have suggested could be running mates, including Elizabeth Warren.

Warren has endorsed and stumped with Clinton, sparking speculation the two could form a two-woman ticket.

She is considered a darling of the progressive wing of the Democratic party and is a vocal critic of Wall Street.

Pairing her with Clinton would make the presumptive nomineemore attractive toyoung supporters, especially thoseof Bernie Sanders, Clinton's primary rival who recently endorsed her.

Warren is also an equally vocal critic of Trump, challenging the Republican candidate on Twitter and in the media. Clinton has previously said she liked Warren's aggressive approach to Trump, saying, "I just love how she gets under Donald Trump's skin."

Clinton and Elizabeth Warren wave after speaking at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 27. (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)

Secretary of Labour Thomas Perez

Perez, a Latino, has served as Clinton's Spanish-speaking surrogate, which some believecould boost Clinton's chances with Hispanic voters amid Trump's difficulties courting the same demographic.

He hasled theDepartment of Justice's Civil Rights Division. He also hasstrong ties to organized labourand investigated the Trayvon Martin shooting.

U.S. Labour Thomas Perez, left, accompanies Clinton as she speaks with media after a town hall meeting at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in December of 2015. (Mark Kauzlarich/Reuters)

VP pick longshots

Secretary of Housing Julian Castro met with Clinton at her home on Friday, but the 41-year-old's political resum is relatively sparse, his previous experiencebeing a city councillor and mayor of SanAntonio, Texas.

Clinton also met with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who supports Alberta's oilsands.Sheis also reported to be eyeingtwo other senators: Ohio'sSherrod Brown, who has decades of experience in public office as a Democrat, and New Jersey's Cory Booker, a rising star within the party known for his social media presence.

And JamesStavridis, a retired admiral and four-star commander of the U.S. forces in Europe, has security experience and knows Clinton from her time as secretary of state.

With files from CBC's Meagan Fitzpatrick, The Associated Press